Michelle Brown, PhD, MS, MLS(ASCP) SBB & Heather Lee, MPH

Building on the excitement surrounding last year's incident command system simulation, undergraduate students in public health joined the MSHA students in disaster response to make this an interprofessional event. Students ran Incident Command Systems in two simulated hospitals and a simulated health department. This year, James Spann announced that an F5 tornado touched down in Anytown, USA, effecting the local nursing home, community college and several neighborhoods. The hospitals had to respond to a large patient influx, many casualties, exhausted staff, and limited resources. The health department worked with the public sector communicating information such as; public notices to boil water since the water treatment facility was impacted by the tornado, shelters (including one for patients with critical needs), and morgue trucks to help with the large number of casualties. The hospital and the health department formed a joint information center to coordinate communication to the news media and dispel unfounded rumors. They were also responsible for demobilization of the incident command system, ensuring hospital operations could return to normal and that the community had their needs met by the county health department, including appropriate vaccinations. Communication and teamwork were necessary to identify key concerns and make decisions that would affect staff, patients, and the community. Thank you to Sarah Nafziger, Bill Mayfield, Julie Cobb, Lisa McCormick, Meena Nabavi, Elena Kidd, and Amy Landry for their expertise in Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Preparedness, and Health Services Administration.

Click here to see a summary video of the simulation.